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J.J. Abrams / Alfonso Cuarón NBC drama pilot Believe casts co-lead

February 15, 2013, 3:52 am
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J.J. Abrams never seems to have too much on his plate. Not content with helming arguably two of the biggest franchises in cinematic history in Star Trek and Star Wars, his new TV pilot with Oscar nominated filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón (Children of Men) is gathering pace.

According to Deadline, Jake McLaughlin (Savages) is set to star in the Abrams/Cuarón collaboration Believe. The new NBC pilot, written by Cuarón and Mark Friedman, is about the unlikely relationship between Bo - a girl in possession of a great gift / powers, which will come into their own in seven years - and Tate (McLaughlin), the man who is sprung from prison to protect her from those trying to hunt her down. Cuarón is directing the pilot, and he is also executive producing with Friedman, Abrams and Bryan Burk.

McLaughlin has appeared in Super 8, a previous J.J. Abrams project, and he can also be seen in the forthcoming James Franco feature Black Dog, Red Dog, which is based on a book of poems by Stephen Dobyns, and features a host of familiar faces such as Olivia Wilde (The Incredible Burt Wonderstone), Chloe Sevigny (Lovelace) and Whoopi Goldberg (Ghost).
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The Oscar for most criminally ignored performances by the Academy - Actress Nominations

February 15, 2013, 4:31 am
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Tom Jolliffe on the female acting performances criminally overlooked by the Academy for Oscar recognition...

It’s often said that the men in the acting world, particularly Hollywood, have monopolised the best roles. Most biopics are about great (or heinous) men from history. We see more heroes than we see heroines and so on. Some actresses do their level best to break down the wall that often greets them, such as Meryl Streep. That said there are often some truly memorable performances by the ladies which still get overlooked by the Academy, unless of course you’re Meryl Streep, who can get an Oscar nomination just by getting out of bed in the morning!

Here are a few of the sadly overlooked...


Sissy Spacek Badlands
Sissy Spacek - Badlands

Spacek has had a fantastic career, often portraying characters with a quiet complexity that thoroughly transfixes the audience. The film which brought her to attention, before her huge breakout with Carrie, was Badlands. It’s a film that has benefited from time and stayed powerful thanks to the nuance of Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek’s performances. So young in her career and fairly young in life at this point, her performance is magnificent, giving her an innocence that belies her imbalance and darker tendencies.


Patricia Arquette  - True Romance

Taking some inspiration from Badlands, this Quentin Tarantino penned film is loaded with his usual selection of memorable characters, all ably played by the wonderful cast. Patricia Arquette as the leading lady here is wonderful. She’s strange, likeable, vulnerable, strong and caring. What could have been a fairly one note role is given wonderful complexity due to the writing and Arquette’s captivating performance.


Natalie Portman Leon
Natalie Portman – Leon

Portman is one of the most interesting and watchable female performers of her generation, who has matured from a fantastic young actress into someone without fear and the courage to take on a range of dark and challenging roles. Portman hit prominence in Leon, as a young woman whose family is killed by gangsters, leading to her befriending and being trained by a hitman in order to get her revenge. It’s a great film with a touching kinship between the strange duo. Portman despite being so young, exudes a real sense of maturity here and a lot of inner turmoil. Leon caused some controversy upon its release, and the subject matter was never likely to be Oscar catnip, but she’s so brilliant here. Raw but very powerful, particularly in some of the moments from the directors cut too. It was clear though, that Portman was destined for stardom.


Linda Hamilton - Terminator 2: Judgement Day

Having bagged Sigourney Weaver some Oscar recognition for her female action icon Ellen Ripley in Aliens, James Cameron would craft once again another tough as nails woman on the edge in Sarah Connor. Again, the arc from the respective first films, to the bigger, more elaborate sequels rang similar regarding the central female characters. Ripley was stronger and more commanding in Aliens. Sarah Connor became a sinewy, war bitten, grizzled and paranoid machine in Terminator 2. The physical transformation was immense enough, but Sarah is pushed to the edge of her own sanity and struggles to deal with what she knows, has done and has to do. Hamilton plays it spot on. Had this not retread some ground from Ellen Ripley, it may have gained Hamilton some more awards recognition, but that said, Connor is a more unbalanced, darker variation and just as interesting. As far as supporting role nominations went that year, Hamilton would not have looked out of place with a nod.


Jessica Chastain Take Shelter
Jessica Chastain - Take Shelter

Chastain is really on the crest of a wave right now. The wave, arguably might have started with this indie film that didn’t particularly get the wide audience that her breakout role in The Help did. She would receive a nomination for that film, but just as warranted would have been her role here as the housewife struggling to cope with her husband's (equally well played by Michael Shannon) ever stranger behaviour.


Helen Mirren - The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover

British icon Helen Mirren is as reliable as the finest Swiss watch. She injects so much character into whichever role she’s playing. Here, as the downtrodden wife of an obnoxious and abusive restaurant owner (Michael Gambon), she is wonderful. Exuding strength, beauty, grace, beneath the vulnerable, tortured surface, Mirren comes across so naturally in what is a challenging role. The arc of Mirren’s character may be difficult to watch at times, as is normally the case with Peter Greenway's often dark work, but it is rewarding. She may well have one of the greatest lines in cinematic history too, but you’ll have to watch it and guess which one.


Jennifer Connelly - The House of Sand and Fog

Connelly has always been on the periphery of the A-list Hollywood superstar actresses. It’s shame in many regards that she hasn’t the profile of some who have perhaps coasted more in the ordinary whilst she’s been challenging herself in diverse roles. Certainly she would finally get her acceptance, and well deserved for her role in A Beautiful Mind, but she was also superb in Requiem for a Dream too. Her role in The House of Sand and Fog though was also pitch perfectly performed. Playing beautifully off of Ben Kingsley, Connelly delivers a performance that was sadly overlooked.


Uma Thurman - Kill Bill

Uma Thurman was great in Kill Bill. Both episodes took her character in different but equally engrossing directions. Thurman gives her all into the role, and in many ways even surpasses what she did in Pulp Fiction, for which she received an Oscar nomination. For such a stand-out strong female character in a film that saw Tarantino come close to recapturing his best form, it was something of a surprise that she was ignored for both the Kill Bill films.


Michelle Pfeiffer in Batman Returns
Michelle Pfeiffer - Batman Returns

One of the many iconic characters of the Batman universe gets arguably her best treatment here, by Michelle Pfeiffer. So sultry, so playful, with a wonderfully wicked streak, Catwoman steals the movie. Pfeiffer’s transformation is amazing, as is the relish in which she plays the purring menace. It’s not necessarily the sort of normal Oscar material, but these sort of roles have some sort of precedent over the years, so a villain in a Batman film getting nominated should shake the Earth’s foundation in surprise and certainly, Pfeiffers interpretation is one of the most interesting female villains of all time.


Sharon Stone - Basic Instinct

As much as the film was a little trashy and certainly controversial, it shouldn’t detract from Sharon Stones iconic femme fatale. Stone’s growler may have made as many headlines as she did but her performance is fantastic. She’s endlessly enigmatic here, so difficult for Michael Douglas’s protagonist to read, but also the audience. She’ll keep you guessing all the way through. A decent level of competition in her category perhaps, but she did get nominated for a Globe. Indeed the film, mostly due to Stone, remains iconic.


Mila Kunis Black Swan
Mila Kunis - Black Swan

Kunis really stepped up a level here, holding her own with a very talented cast including Natalie Portman’s mesmerising performance. Her support was excellent as the antagonist of the piece. Kunis can count herself most unlucky not to have received a nomination.


Pam Grier - Jackie Brown

Though this wasn’t Tarantino’s finest work, it was still nonetheless typically enjoyable. Pam Grier’s re-emergence from a decade or so of near obscurity was a stroke of casting genius from QT. In turn for being handed the lead in a project of this note, Grier delivers the performance of her career. She’s wonderful and well worth her headlining this mainstream project. It’s a real shame the performance that could have potentially won the award that year was overlooked entirely by the Academy. It was a strong year of course, even if some of the choices were a little safe.


Honourable Mentions

Jennifer Jason Leigh (Single White Female); Isabella Rossellini (Blue Velvet); Carrie Fisher (Star Wars); Nicole Kidman (To Die For).


Which performances do you think were unfairly overlooked by the Academy? Let us know in the comments below...


Tom Jolliffe
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IDW will be releasing Best of EC Comics Artist’s Edition

February 15, 2013, 7:49 am
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Measuring 15" x 22", The Best of EC Comics Artist Edition, Volume One will feature works from the likes of Al Williamson, Harvey Kurtzman, Bernie Krigstein, and Johnny Craig as well as an art gallery of classic covers which includes Weird Science-Fantasy #29 by Frank Frazetta.

"It's no secret that I am a serious EC lover," says Artist's Editions editor Scott Dunbier. "I can honestly say that this volume will feature some of the most beloved and remembered EC stories of all time!”  Complicating the project was the fact that a lot of the original art for the EC stories being auctioned off during the early 1980s.  “Tracking down these treasures is a major undertaking since the stories are widely scattered among multiple collectors, but fortunately we have been able to unearth some of the truly best stories to come out of EC,” says Dunbier.  “The book will present readers with a veritable cornucopia of outstanding examples of true classics.”

Each page is printed so to mimic the original artwork allowing for readers to clearly see such things editorial notes and art corrections. The Best of EC Comics Artist Edition, Volume One arrives in stores on May 19, 2013.

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Sam Mendes to reunite with Daniel Craig for Bond 24?

February 15, 2013, 8:42 am
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Daniel Craig Sam Mendes Bond 24 007
Back in October it was reported that Skyfall screenwriter John Logan had signed a deal to pen the scripts for a two-movie 007 arc for Bond 24 and Bond 25, which would then be shot back-to-back. However, with the billion dollar success of Daniel Craig's latest outing, it seems that producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson have changed their minds and are now looking at a standalone story for the super spy's 24th screen adventure, with Skyfall director Sam Mendes said to be close to agreeing a return.

According to Baz Bamigboye of The Daily Mail, Academy Award-winner Mendes "hasn't firmly made up his mind about directing another Bond, but I'm reliably told he's '75 per cent' of the way towards doing it." Apparently Mendes was reluctant to commit to the plans to shoot two movies back-to-back, but with those plans jettisoned, he's now on board "in theory", but wants to see a finished script from Logan first. The report goes on to state that Bond 24 could go into pre-production later this year, which would surely be a necessity anyway if Eon are to have any chance of meeting a planned release in late 2014.

Having pulled in $1.1 billion at the global box-office to date, Skyfall is currently the 007th highest-grossing movie of all-time, and sees Daniel Craig starring alongside the likes of Judi Dench, Javier Bardem, Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris, Albert Finney, Ben Wishaw and Bérénice Marlohe.
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Harrison Ford reportedly returning as Han Solo in Star Wars: Episode VII

February 15, 2013, 9:01 am
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Harrison Ford Han Solo Star Wars Episode VII
Latino Review has just dropped some pretty big Star Wars news: Harrison Ford will reprise his role as Han Solo in J.J. Abrams' upcoming continuation of the franchise.

This is huge news, and one I'm sure many fans will have been hoping to hear, including myself. It felt essential to me that Star Wars: Episode VII continued the stories of the characters we all know and love, so to hear that Ford - who was likely to be the most resistant to the idea of returning - will be back as the intergalactic scoundrel is something to get excited about.

Whilst this narrows things down for us in terms of the direction Episode VII will go in, so many new questions arrive; will the standalone Han Solo film also feature Ford? Will Episode VII resemble the Expanded Universe and give us Han and Leia's Jedi children? Will Luke turn to the Dark Side?

A lot of questions for us to chew over, but it is definitely good to hear that Ford is back, and it gives me a little more faith in the series - even if he is just coming back for a quick death scene. But Han Solo couldn't die, could he?

Hopefully news of Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill being on board won't be too far away and here's hoping for just a few snippets of information on what is in store for Star Wars: Episode VII.
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The Walking Dead Season 3 - Episode 9 Review

February 15, 2013, 9:10 am
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Piers McCarthy reviews the ninth episode of The Walking Dead season 3...

Much to some readers’ consternation, I felt the midseason finale of The Walking Dead’s third season wasn’t all that wonderful. It was still energetic, visceral and enjoyable (bettering the majority of contemporary television) but was noticeably poorer than the 7 episodes that had preceded it. Returning after a two-month hiatus, The Walking Dead still stands as one of the best programmes currently airing, but episode 9 is nonetheless overshadowed by the several seminal episodes.

Major Spoilers Follow...

Season 2 was flawed by a bitterly slow series of events – a problem dealt with perfectly during the start of the third season. Whilst “The Suicide King” never becomes too sluggish, there are some issues with the pacing, mostly a decision to rush through events. Given the relatively long break from episode 8 to 9 airing, the best thing to have done is to take things steady with the action. I found episode 8’s Woodbury infiltration and escape frantically shot and edited, ruining some of the tension. The same can be said for episode 9 which starts off with Daryl and Merle pitted against one another in a fight to the death. This was the cliff-hanger clincher for me last December – something I was eager to see the result of – but takes a mere few minutes to end at the start of the season’s second half. Just a few more shots on the brothers’ faces (showing their turmoil/anger/fear) would have sufficed and brought a bit more drama to the set-piece.

Despite this, the second infiltration by Rick and Maggie brilliantly builds on the new “Rick versus The Governor” story arc. The Governor coolly walking through the smoke grenade’s smog is now the new iconic image of The Walking Dead’s conflict. It shows the possible end to Woodbury – a point lingered on for the right amount of time. The best piece of damning evidence to Woodbury’s survival is a gap in the gate, with a classic-looking zombie drooling and moaning before it.

With The Governor knowing of Rick et al’s hide-out, the prison may also become a doomed locale. However, before that happens there is still some change happening there to keep you interested. For one, there is the new group currently housed in the cell next to Hershel, Carl, Beth and Judith. They all seem pleasant and humbly concerned about their future with or without the prison lot. But one member changes your perception when he mentions knocking off Carol and Carl in order to get their guns. The leader, Tyreese, is shocked by the idea, yet it can’t erase the idea in the audiences’ mind that they may not be as innocent as they appear.

There isn’t much development with the new crowd that warrants immediate attention; all concern goes towards Daryl leaving his borrowed family for his blood one. Daryl is an integral part of the show – Rick’s right-hand man and one of the most beloved characters. As he trudges off with his evil brother there is a definite drop in the show’s credit (how it will last without Daryl or how they’ll bring him back is now a haunting question).

What marks the series as a well-acclaimed one is its ability to deal well with certain themes. The overarching ones will always be loss, survival and humanity, though each episode usually contains a specific one. Episode 9 looks closer at Rick’s madness and also the clashes between counter-communities (Woodbury and the prison). For the latter, there is a sense of the community degenerating – whether it’s the take-over of Woodbury with zombies or its people wanting to leave, or Daryl leaving Rick and company for the prison lot – showing a slightly mirrored image of decay. Rick’s tortured mind is a theme seen only in snippets since Lori’s death. As the episode finishes he looks up a Shakespearian-type ghost of Lori, cloaked in shadow on the upper floor of the cell. As a programme continually promoting horror or scares, this is one of the most upsetting images to date. Not only does it reveal Rick as a broken, disillusioned man, it also draws on paranoia and phantoms – prime material for creeping you out.

Piers McCarthy - Follow me on Twitter.
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Henry Cavill talks Man of Steel and Justice League

February 15, 2013, 12:32 pm
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Henry Cavill Superman Man of Steel
As part of the summer blockbuster preview in the latest issue of Total Film (via CBM), Henry Cavill has briefly spoken about donning the cape as Superman in Zack Snyder's hotly anticipated reboot Man of Steel, as well as touching upon Warner Bros. planned DC team-up Justice League.

"This is not a movie about Zack Snyder directing something, or Henry Cavill playing a character..." said Cavill, presumably remaining in character as Clark Kent during the interview, as opposed to referring to himself in the third person. "It's a selfless movie about a character who is going through what he is going through. He wants to do the right thing, but he's fallible, like the rest of us. He messes up, and that makes us love him more."

It's been widely reported that WB plans to use Man of Steel to launch a shared DC universe, with Cavill's Superman then going on to join fellow DC Comics icons Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern and The Flash as part of the Justice League movie. However, recent talk suggested that any potential superhero team-up was dependent on the box office success of the upcoming reboot, which Cavill goes on to pretty much confirm: "A decision's being made [on Justice League] I'm sure, post-opening weekend!"

Man of Steel is set for release on June 14th, with a cast that includes Amy Adams (The Fighter) as Lois Lane, Russell Crowe (Les Miserables) as Jor-El, Michael Shannon (Boardwalk Empire) as General Zod, Kevin Costner (Hatfields & McCoys) as Jonathan Kent, Diane Lane (Secretariat) as Martha Kent, Laurence Fishburne (Contagion) as Perry White. Meanwhile Justice League is currently without a writer, after Warner Bros. pulled the plug on  Will Beall's (Gangster Squad) "terrible" script earlier this month.
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Setting the Stage for Kill Shakespeare: The Tide of Blood #1

February 15, 2013, 12:40 pm
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Returning from the initial 12 issue Shakespearean mash-up series is the original creative team of co-writers Conor McCreery and Anthony Del Col, and artist Andy Belanger; they will be beginning a new 5 issue miniseries with Kill Shakespeare: The Tide of Blood #1. The official IDW Publishing synopsis reads:

In the new adventure Shakespeare’s greatest heroes (Hamlet, Juliet, Romeo, Othello, Miranda) embark on a journey to a forbidden island to save the world from the deranged “master of books”, Prospero. The island is filled with cannibals, magic and madness – as well as ghosts from the pasts of many characters.

“It’s a dream come true to continue to tell stories in the Kill Shakespeare universe,” said McCreery. “We have such a vast and deep sandbox of characters to play with from Shakespeare and our fans constantly let us know which ones they want to see next. The entire fan response has been overwhelming.”  Appropriately, Kill Shakespearewill be taking centre stage at Chicago's Strawdog Theatre where Kill Shakespeare: The Live Graphic Novel will be performed from March 4 to 14, 2013.

"I had an awesome time working on the first two volumes of Kill Shakespeare," said series editor Tom Waltz. "Tickling both my literary and action-adventure fancies, Conor, Anthony, and Andy have most definitely given me one of the most satisfying and unique experiences I've had as an editor at IDW Publishing. And, just as the first go-round proved it's hard to kill Shakespeare, well, it's hard to kill a fantastic story concept, too, and I truly believe the best is yet to come from the Kill Shakespeare crew!"

Kill Shakespeare: The Tide of Blood #1 arrives in stores on February 20, 2013.
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Spider-Man gets to have his 50th Anniversary cake and eat it too

February 15, 2013, 1:19 pm
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No, we are not talking about the Superior Spider-Man finally being able to spin a web and get Mary Jane Watson into bed with him.  To celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Wall Crawler, Buddy from the TLC hit series Cake Boss heads to headquarters of Marvel Entertainment to bake a culinary monument for the occasion. 

  
For those who want to witness the event themselves, the episode will air on Monday, February 18, 2013 at 9/8C.
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Jason Momoa in negotiations to join Guardians of the Galaxy as Drax the Destroyer

February 15, 2013, 3:54 pm
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Jason Momoa Khal Drogo Game of Thrones
Not content with dropping a major Star Wars scoop earlier today, Latino Review has now turned its attention to the Marvel Cinematic Universe to report that Jason Momoa has entered talks with Marvel Studios about joining the cast of Guardians of the Galaxy in the role of Drax the Destroyer. Momoa tested for the role earlier this week in London, following which he was apparently offered the part and is now in negotiations with the studio (although according to The Hollywood Reporter's Borys Kitt, an official offer is yet to have been made).

Momoa is best known for his role as the Dothraki warlord Khal Drogo on HBO's Game of Thrones, while his other TV credits include Baywatch and Stargate Atlantis. However, his movie career is yet to really shift into gear, having headlined the poorly-received 2011 Conan the Barbarian remake, as well as starring alongside Sylvester Stallone as the villain in last month's action flop Bullet to the Head. Should Momoa join the roster of Guardians of the Galaxy, he will be the second actor to do so, with Chris Pratt (Parks and Recreation, Zero Dark Thirty) announced as having secured the role of Peter Quill / Star-Lord earlier this month.

Guardians of the Galaxy is currently in pre-production ahead of a summer shoot under director James Gunn (Slither, Super), and is scheduled to hit cinemas on August 1st, 2014.
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Movie Review - I Give It a Year (2013)

February 16, 2013, 5:10 am
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I Give It a Year, 2013.

Written and Directed by Dan Mazer.
Starring Rose Byrne, Rafe Spall, Anna Farris, Simon Baker, Minnie Driver, Stephen Merchant and Olivia Coleman.

I Give It a Year movie poster

SYNOPSIS:

Dan Mazer’s Brit rom-com examines the various trials and tribulations of newlyweds Nat and Josh in their first year of marriage.

I Give It a Year

You wouldn’t expect the producer behind Borat and Ali G to delve into the rom-com genre but Mazer steps into the role with ease and delivers a hilarious comedy. I Give It a Year charts the dysfunctional first year of Nat (Rose Byrne) and Josh’s (Rafe Spall) mismatched marriage. You only see glimpses of the couple's courtship, before you’re at the wedding listening to a supremely awkward best man’s speech (delivered by the film’s true star Stephen Merchant) and the next thing you know it’s 9 months later and the two are in couples counselling. From the outset Mazer inverts our expectations and confirms that this won’t be a traditional romantic comedy.

I Give It a Year truly exceeds in the comedy side of things with a multitude of laugh out loud moments littered throughout. Most of the laughs are provided by the supporting cast consisting of inappropriate best friend Danny (Merchant), a wildly unhinged therapist (Coleman) and Nat’s malicious sister played expertly by Driver. By littering the film with these three characters, Mazer ensures that the laughs keep coming. Spall has some great moments throughout – his Beyonce dance is unmissable – but the central relationship is uncomfortable to watch and only goes to emphasise that Mazer has focused on comedy more than romance.

If you want to go see a film and be heartwarmed then this isn’t the right one. Whilst the laughs come thick and fast, there’s no emotional centre and Nat and Josh’s relationship is almost painful to watch at times. Their potential partners (Anna Farris and Simon Baker) do their best to ignite the romance but they’re largely underused. Farris gets her shining moment during an awkward sequence, which proves how far she’s come since the days of Scary Movie. Baker on the other hand is largely one dimensional and isn’t given the screen time to develop his character.

At the centre of this unconventional “romance” is Rafe Spall and Rose Byrne. Rafe Spall excels in the role and makes his character Josh loveable, charming, and goofy at the same time. In comparison Rose Byrne’s character Nat is annoying and has seemingly no redeeming features whatsoever. The audience get the sense from the beginning that these two are in for a rough ride, with Nat being annoyed at Josh for not emptying the bin, leaving the loo lid up, not working and so on. All of these issues make her character appear trivial and even in the film’s resolution it’s difficult to warm to her at all.

I Give It a Year hasn’t reinvented the British rom-com but it’s definitely a start. What it lacks in heart is made up for in comedy. Hopefully someone will take this formula, add a bit of romance in there and they’re set for a winning combination.

Flickering Myth Rating - Film: ★ ★ ★  / Movie: ★ ★ ★ 

Helen Murdoch
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The Week in Spandex - X-Men: Days of Future Past, The Dark Knight Rebooted, Man of Steel, Marvel's Phase Two, Spawn, Arrow and more

February 16, 2013, 5:29 am
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Our weekly round up of all the latest stories from the world of screen superheroes, including X-Men: Days of Future Past, The Wolverine, Guardians of the Galaxy, Iron Man 3, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Marvel's S.H.I.E.L.D., The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Man of Steel, Batman, Lobo, Arrow, Kick-Ass 2, Spawn, Super Clyde, Green Lantern: The Animated Series, Young Justice, Ultimate Spider-Man, The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, Thor: The Dark World, Avengers Assemble and more...

Bolivar Trask X-Men: Days of Future Past
Over the past couple of months we've seen plenty of familiar faces signing on to reprise their roles in Bryan Singer's forthcoming superhero sequel X-Men: Days of Future Past, and now we have our first newcomer to the X-Men universe with the news that Game of Thrones star Peter Dinklage has been cast as the "main antagonist" of the time-travelling mutant epic. According to reports, Dinklage could be set to play Bolivar Trask, a military scientist who creates the mutant-hunting Sentinels, and who was previously seen in as the head of Homeland Security in Brett Ratner's X-Men: The Last Stand, where he was portrayed by Bill Duke (Predator) [if these rumours are true, then presumably Trask is one of the "few things" about the franchise that Singer told HitFix he plans to "correct"]. Dinklage joins an already-impressive cast on Days of Future Past, which so far includes original X-Men trilogy veterans Hugh Jackman (Wolverine), Patrick Stewart (Professor X), Ian McKellen (Magneto), Ellen Page (Kitty Pryde), Anna Paquin (Rogue) and Shawn Ashmore (Iceman) alongside X-Men: First Class stars James McAvoy (Professor X), Michael Fassbender (Magneto), Jennifer Lawrence (Mystique) and Nicholas Hoult (Beast)...

...With his latest film Jack the Giant Slayer due to hit cinemas next month, Bryan Singer has been doing the promotional rounds this past week, but of course much of the talk centred on his impending return to the X-Men franchise. In addition to revealing an April 15th start date for filming, Singer confirmed that Days of Future Past will be shot in 3D, and while he remained non-commital about the possibility of Halle Berry (Storm) or Alan Cumming (Nightcrawler) adding to the ever-expanding cast, he did state that disgraced former President Richard Nixon will make an appearance in the film, marking a second superhero movie outing for Tricky Dicky after 2009's Watchmen. Check out a recap of Singer's X-Men comments here, as well as his thoughts on Warner Bros. rebooting the Superman franchise post-Superman Returns with Zack Snyder's Man of Steel...

Hugh Jackman in The Wolverine
...Singer hasn't been the only person discussing Days of Future Past recently, with Hugh Jackman taking a moment to tell The Hollywood Reporter how his casting came about: "I first heard about it around October or November [2012]. I was literally finishing The Wolverine and dreaming about lasagna, and about three weeks before the end, they told me. There was no way I was not going to be part of that." As for The Wolverine, fans were disappointed this week that the rumoured trailer for July's solo X-Men sequel failed to arrive online, with director James Mangold announcing that it will instead arrive late-March (it's since been speculated that the trailer will be attached to G.I. Joe: Retaliation). The news didn't go down to well, with Mangold then responding to enraged fans on Twitter: "Tell me you think we're lame after you see the teaser. At least then you will be critiquing images from the film, not a marketing window... from end of March till release, you'll be saturated..."

...Peter Dinklage might not be the only Game of Thrones star appearing in a superhero movie next year, with Khal Drogo himself Jason Momoa said to have been offered the role of Drax the Destroyer in Marvel Studios' 'big space epic' Guardians of the Galaxy. Momoa tested in London this week, and it's been said that he's now in negotiations with the studio about joining the cast of the James Gunn-directed ensemble. Other actors previously thought to have tested for the part of Drax include Isaiah Mustafa (the Old Spice guy), Brian Patrick Wade (The Big Bang Theory) and Dave Bautista (The Man with the Iron Fists). Should a deal be reached, Momoa will become the second person to join the film, with Chris Pratt (Parks and Recreation) having signed on for the role of Star-Lord earlier this month...

Rocket Raccoon Guardians of the Galaxy
...Sticking with Guardians of the Galaxy for a moment, and Marvel's Executive VP Victoria Alonso offered a brief update on the status of the film during an interview with Cinema Blend: "Production has already started! Completely. It started months ago and we have an entire team in London already – we start shooting in June. [James Gunn] travels next week and it’s going, baby! It’s a fast train to a beautiful place." Alonso also went on to reveal how they plan to bring Rocket Raccoon and Groot to the screen: "We’re going to do a combination [of full CG and motion capture]. You can’t do any motion capture with a raccoon – they won’t let you put the suit on [laughs]. But we will do rotomation, probably, for some of the behavior. Rocket will have his own personality, of course, and clearly we can’t do mocap on a tree, per say, but we definitely will have performers to emulate what James Gunn will lead to be the behavior and the performance. He’s very clear on where he wants to take the characters..."

...In a couple of other bits and pieces from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the studio has released a new character poster for Iron Man 3 featuring Don Cheadle as Rhodey in his War Machine / Iron Patriot armor, while Marvel's marketing department has launched a mysterious new viral site for Stark Industries, declaring "Test Subjects Required". Meanwhile, Toby Jones (Arnim Zola) and Hayley Atwell (Peggy Carter) have both been discussing Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and while Atwell has repeatedly denied she's set to reunited with Chris Evans' Steve Rogers with an appearance in the sequel, Captain America: The First Avenger star Stanley Tucci seems to think otherwise, telling Collider: "Hayley Atwell, who I just had dinner with last night, we’ve become good friends... I know that Hayley is going back to do a flashback scene, but I have not been asked..."

...While we're on the subject of Captain America, Shout Factory has announced a Collector's Edition Blu-ray release for Albert Pyun's God-awful low-budget 1990 adaptation, which sees Matt (Son of J.D.) Salinger (Revenge of the Nerds) as Steve Rogers and Scott Paulin (The Right Stuff) as an Italian Red Skull (presumably so as not to offend Nazis). The film will hit North American shelves on May 21st; here's the official synopsis: "Long ago, Steve Rogers was a true American hero, a brave super soldier created by scientists to help the Allied Forces fight for freedom in World War II. But during a battle with the sinister Red Skull, he was lost, entombed in ice. Decades later, his body has been found and revived and Steve must again don the mantle of Captain America to help save the President of the United States (RoboCop's Ronny Cox) — and the world — from his arch-nemesis once and for all..."

...Having commenced principal photography on January 23rd, producer Maurissa Tancharoen announced on Tuesday that filming has wrapped on the Joss Whedon-directed S.H.I.E.L.D. TV pilot; the show - which sees Clark Gregg's fan favourite Agent Phil Coulson back from the dead - will presumably now enter a brief period of post-production before we hear whether executives at ABC are suitably impressed to offer a full season order for small screen spin-off to The Avengers...

...With cameras currently rolling on The Amazing Spider-Man 2, director Marc Webb has continued to deliver a daily dose of set photos from the Sony superhero sequel via Twitter, and while they really don't offer up much at all, one tweet did include an 8-second video that gave us the briefest of glimpses at an eye, which is presumably from Spidey's redesigned mask (although there's also speculation that it could belong to Venom)...

Henry Cavill Superman Man of Steel...Moving on to Warner Bros.' fledgling DC movie universe now and Henry Cavill has briefly spoken about donning the cape to star as Superman in July's Man of Steel: "This is not a movie about Zack Snyder directing something, or Henry Cavill playing a character... It's a selfless movie about a character who is going through what he is going through. He wants to do the right thing, but he's fallible, like the rest of us. He messes up, and that makes us love him more." Cavill also seemingly confirmed the rumours that any potential Justice League movie is dependent on box office success for Man of Steel, stating that: ""A decision's being made [on Justice League] I'm sure, post-opening weekend..."

...With WB recently pulling the plug on Will Beall's (Gangster Squad) script for the Justice League movie, there seems to be a tonne of confusion over the studio's DC plans beyond the release of Man of Steel this summer. According to Jett over at Batman-on-Film, the uncertainty over Justice League has now led Warner's top brass to alter their plans to reboot the Batman franchise post-The Dark Knight Rises, while box office success for Man of Steel could mean we'll be waiting until at least 2019 for The Dark Knight's return to cinemas. As per BoF's source: "I believe that they are now looking at introducing [the rebooted] Batman in a solo film, though that will likely take place later than they initially had planned. They are extremely worried how [the Batman film franchise] would be affected if Justice League bombs...and rightfully so... If Superman [this Summer’s Man of Steel] is huge, then they've bought themselves some time and will have a franchise to hang their hat on for seven, eight years. The need for Batman won’t be as great, and [the reboot] of that franchise can wait until the Superman trilogy is done..."

...And, just to throw salt in the Justice League wounds, it also looks as WB's plans for a Lobo movie may have hit the rocks, with Dwayne Johnson telling MTV that he's no longer attached to the project, which was being developed by his Journey 2: The Mysterious Island director Brad Peyton: "It was for a minute, but then it kind of just went away. As things happen in Hollywood sometime. For a minute I was interested in [Lobo], then it went away..." 

...Although Warner's feature film department appears to be struggling with its roster of DC characters, at least the studio can console itself with the fact that its TV division has delivered a genuine hit with The CW's Arrow; off the back of consistently strong ratings, the network has announced that ithas renewed theGreen Arrow adaptation, with Stephen Amell's Oliver Queen set to continue his war on the criminal element of Starling City for a second season starting in the Fall. The CW subsequently released a new midseason trailer, as well as announcing that Emily Bett Rickards - who plays Felicity Smoak - will join regular cast for season two. Rickards' character will also feature prominently in this week's episode 'Dodger', which sees the return of Kelly Hu (X2: X-Men United) as China White and the introduction of Colton Haynes (Teen Wolf) as Roy Harper; here's the official episode summary (and check out a selection of images here): "Felicity tells Oliver he’s all work and no play, so he asks Detective McKenna (guest star Janina Gavankar) on a date. A jewel thief named Dodger (guest star James Callis) hits Starling City and targets someone very close to Oliver. Meanwhile, while working with Laurel (Katie Cassidy), Thea (Willa Holland) gets her purse stolen by a very fast pickpocket named Roy Harper (guest star Haynes). Moira (Susanna Thompson) makes a move against Malcom (John Barrowman)..."

Back in October, a set photo from Kick-Ass 2 showed Aaron Taylor-Johnson's Dave Lizewski sharing (a relucant?) kiss with Chloe Moretz's Mindy Macready, and now Moretz has confirmed that love is in the air for Hit-Girl in this summer's upcoming sequel, which will see a more adult take on the teen assassin: "There's going to get a bit more romance, a much more grown up Mindy Macready. Someone who's questioning themself and whether they are a villain, assassin or a vigilante and a hero. So there's a lot of tormented inner self, it's interesting... It's been amazing revising the character and showing her more grown up and more adult and more put together. It's been a lot of fun..."

Spawn
...During an interview with MTV Geek, Todd McFarlane offered an update on the status of his planned Spawn reboot, but before fans get too excited, it's virtually identical to his previous update from this time last year: "I continue writing pages here and there. I have a guy waiting in the sidelines, an Academy Award-winning actor. Every three weeks he's on the phone going, 'Todd, where's the script? Todd, where's the script?' I can't say who it is. You could [narrow it down]. He came out to the office. He gave me his pitch, and I gave him mine. The pitch I gave was that we could do ten of these for the next ten years and he wouldn't have to be 22 for the rest of his life." Considering McFarlane's been working on the script for the reboot 2009, I seriously doubt they could do ten in ten years... Nevertheless, the character could be back on the small screen in the near future, with McFarlane revealing that a new animated series is ready to go: "We have 90 minutes all set and ready to go, other than sending it to an animation house. We've done all the voice recordings, we've done all the backgrounds, so the technology is way better than it was a decade ago; there are some spectacular things we can do now that we weren't able to when we were on HBO..."

...CBS is looking to capitalise on the popularity of the superhero genre with a single camera comedy pilot from My Name is Earl and Raising Hope creator Greg Garcia; entitled Super Clyde, the pilot will see Harry Potter star Rupert Grint as a "well-meaning and sweet yet slightly neurotic guy who never really feels like he fits in. The avid comic book reader considers himself a borderline agoraphobic with mild-to-severe anxiety issues who wishes he were a superhero himself. When Clyde gets a $100,000-a-month inheritance from his long-dead eccentric Uncle Bill, he decides that the cash will be his secret superpower and will use it only for good and reward the good-hearted..."

...As usual, if you'd like a preview of this weekend's DC Nation animated offerings on Cartoon Network, head on over to The World's Finest, where you can find episode descriptions, images and clips from Green Lantern: The Animated Series, Young Justice, and the latest DC Nation Short, Amethyst: Princess of Gemworld - 'Level 5: Battle in the Stormy Peaks'...

Ultimate Spider-Man The Sinister Six
...Over on Disney XD's Marvel Universe programming block, this weekend's Ultimate Spider-Man episode sees the friendly neighbourhood web-slinger going up against six of his most dangerous foes as The Sinister Six make their debut; you can check out a clip from the episode here, which sees Spidey callling out the supervillain team of The Beetle, Electro, Kraven the Hunter, The Lizard, The Rhino and Doctor Octopus...

...Earlier this week Disney XD reported that 2012 had been the best year in its history in terms of viewership, with Ultimate Spider-Man the network's most-watched show in its key demographic of boys aged 2-11, and The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes the #1 ranked animated show overall. Nevertheless, Earth's Mightiest Heroes has now finished its run, and will be replaced later this year by Marvel's Avengers Assemble, which has been designed to capitalise on the success of Joss Whedon's live-action mega-blockbuster...
 
...And finally, New York City played host to Toy Fair 2013 this past week, giving us a sneak peak at some of the comic book movie memorabilia set to grace the shelves this year, as well as potentially offering clues to this year's superhero movie slate; in addition to some Man of Steel DC Collectibles of Superman, General Zod (Michael Shannon), Jor-El (Russell Crowe) and Faora (Antje Traue) [see here], the Superman Homepage posted images of a tonne of Superman merchandise, including - potential spoiler alert - a Quick Shots Robot Attack Battle Pack, which may offer confirmation on the rumours that Zod will command a robot army; a sneak peak at some of the 1960s Batman TV series action figures featuring the likenesses of Adam West (Batman), Frank Gorshin (The Riddler) and Burgess Meredith (The Penguin), not to mention the awesome Lincoln Futura Batmobile [see here]; 7" Kick-Ass 2 action figures of Kick-Ass, Hit-Girl and The Mother F*cker (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) [see here]; a few snaps of Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and the Dark Elves from Thor: The Dark World [see here]; a Silver Samurai (Will Tun Lee) figure from The Wolverine [see here]; and a selection of toys from Disney XD's upcoming Avengers Assemble, which seems to indicate that the new cartoon will feature guest appearances from the likes of Wolverine, The Red Skull and The Leader [see here]. Oh, and we also got our hands on some shots of Marvel's forthcoming Mr. Potato Head line-up, although something tells me these versions of Iron Man, Thor and Wolverine aren't quite 100% movie accurate.

Holy Franchise, Batman! Bringing the Caped Crusader to the Screen - Available now via Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com.

Gary Collinson
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First images of Josh Brolin as Dwight in Sin City: A Dame to Kill For

February 16, 2013, 1:56 pm
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Robert Rodriguez is currently busy filming the hotly-anticipated sequel Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, and the filmmaker has taken to Twitter to reveal two images of Josh Brolin (Men in Black 3, Gangster Squad) as Dwight McCarthy, who was of course portrayed by Clive Owen in the 2005 original. The first photo shows Rodriguez and Brolin on the green screen set, while the second has been touched up to show how the actor will appear on screen. Check them out:



Sin City: A Dame to Kill For is once again co-directed by Sin City creator Frank Miller, who has written the script with Rodriguez and Academy Award-winner William Monahan (The Departed). Reprising their roles from the original are Bruce Willis (A Good Day to Die Hard), Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler), Jessica Alba (Machete), Rosario Dawson (Trance), Jaime King (My Bloody Valentine) and Michael Madsen (Reservoir Dogs), while newcomers to Basin City include Joseph Gordon-Levitt (The Dark Knight Rises), Eva Green (Dark Shadows) Dennis Haysbert (24), Juno Temple (Killer Joe), Ray Liotta (Goodfellas), Jamie Chung (The Man with the Iron Fists), Alexa Vega (Machete Kills), Chris Meloni (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit) and Jeremy Piven (Entourage).

Sin City: A Dame to Kill For is due for release on October 4th.

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Giveaway - Win The Six Million Dollar Man Seasons 1 and 2 on DVD

February 17, 2013, 1:32 am
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Digitally re-mastered and restored, The Six Million Dollar Man: Season 1 and The Six Million Dollar Man: Season 2 comes to DVD here in the UK on February 25th, and to celebrate the release we're offering three readers the chance to win both seasons courtesy of the lovely people at Fabulous Films and Fremantle Media Enterprises. Read on for a synopsis, and details of how to enter the competition...


When Colonel Steve Austin (Lee Majors) barely survives the devastating crash of an experimental NASA aircraft, his shattered body is rebuilt using bionics, a secret new medical technology developed for the U.S. government by Dr. Rudy Wells. Outfitted with atomic-powered bionic legs, an arm, and an eye, Austin is now "better, stronger, faster" than he was before. Austin's enhanced abilities are put to the test as he is sent on dangerous and covert missions for the government's OSI division, under the supervision of director Oscar Goldman (Richard Anderson).

SEASON 1 finds Steve Austin facing a never-ending stream of assassins, kidnappers, diabolical scientists, nuclear threats, and even a powerful robot-double of one of his best friends. Besides the return of robot maker Dr. Dolenz, Steve Austin faces new conflicts in SEASON 2, including visitors from another galaxy, a crazed astronaut, a hostile Japanese WWII pilot, a spying news reporter, and even a Seven Million Dollar Man! But Austin's toughest conflict occurs when he is reunited with his childhood sweetheart, Jaime Sommers (Lindsay Wagner). After a tragic skydiving accident, Jaime becomes the world's first bionic woman. Can their rekindled love survive as cyber-soul mates?

Featuring guest appearances from Britt Ekland (The Man with Golden Gun), John Saxon (A Nightmare on Elm Street, Enter the Dragon), Greg Morris (Mission: Impossible), Gary Lockwood (2001: A Space Odyssey), Farrah Fawcett (Charlie’s Angels), William Shatner (Star Trek). Mike Farrell (M*A*S*H), Farrah Fawcett (Charlie’s Angels) and Donna Mills (Knots Landing).

To be in with a chance of winning, firstly make sure you like us on Facebook (or follow us on Twitter)...



...Then complete your details below, using the subject heading "SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN". The competition closes at midnight on Saturday, March 2nd. UK entrants only please.

 
 By entering this competition you agree to our terms and conditions, which you can read here.
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Spinning a Great Yarn: Colleen Atwood talks about Snow White and the Huntsman

February 17, 2013, 1:59 am
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Trevor Hogg chats with Academy Award winner Colleen Atwood about her Oscar nominated costume design work on Snow White and the Huntsman...


Contending for an Oscar is nothing new for Colleen Atwood (The Silence of the Lambs) who has won three Academy Awards and received her 10th nomination for Snow White and the Huntsman (2012); the veteran costume designer who frequently collaborates with Tim Burton (Alice in Wonderland) and Rob Marshall (Chicago) was already familiar with first-time director Rupert Sanders.  “I knew Rupert from commercials so it wasn’t working with a stranger.  We had a good rapport and lots of laughs.”   The reinterpretation of the story about a princess who escapes her evil Queen stepmother and seeks to reclaim her kingdom is closer to Brothers Grimm version than the classic animated film made by Disney in 1937.  “He wanted a dark fairy tale world loosely based on 11th to 12th century with texture and style.”  Serving as a creative inspiration was a London museum established in 1897 which houses a variety of fine and decorative arts from the 15th to the 19th centuries.  “The Wallace Collections’ amazing armoury was a starting point for my silver army as it has some of the most amazing armour I have seen.”


The outfits had to be cinematic as well practical for the performers to wear.  “I rigged the costumes with stretch and lighter weight materials to function on camera but look real.”  An essential element was required to balance the fantasy aspect with the grounded reality tone.  “By starting with research as a basis then spinning out from there.”  No particular costume stands out.  “At this point not really, it is a world not one thing.”  An organic approach was used to craft the costume of The Huntsman portrayed by Chris Hemsworth (The Avengers) who spends his time in the outdoors.  “Taking materials that were used at time that would have had, and giving them handmade quality.”  Initially, the imprisoned Snow White played by Kristen Stewart (Panic Room) resembles a peasant rather than royalty.  “These costumes were layers.”  Stewart transforms into princess who leads an army.  “The character evolved so I kept to similar colour mood and added armour to warrior so it didn’t look new or flashy.”


As for the diabolical monarch embodied by Charlize Theron (Prometheus), the native of Yakima, Washington incorporated intricate details such as beetle wings into her wardrobe.  “She represented death so all things that are by-products were starting point for her materials.”  Legacy Effects led by Effects Supervisor Lindsay MacGowan was recruited to produce the evil forces commanded by Theron.  “They made the Dark Army from designs that Rupert and I gave them and added some great touches.”  The scope of fantasy epic was the biggest challenge.  “Running a show with thousands of costumes being made and fit while shooting; it required lots of hard work, long days and a great team.”  Contemplating what resulted in her receiving an Oscar nomination for Snow White and the Huntsman, Colleen Atwood replies, “The craftsmanship involved and the level of design.”


Images © 2012. Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.

Many thanks to Colleen Atwood for taking the time for this interview.

To learn more visit the official website for Snow White and the Huntsman, and read our visual effects profile titled Grimm Reality: The Making of Snow White and the Huntsman.

Trevor Hogg is a freelance video editor and writer who currently resides in Canada.

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A Good Day to Die Hard blows up the U.S. box office

February 17, 2013, 12:21 pm
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It was an ugly weekend at the U.S. box office.  The top three films had a combined critical average of 18%.  While the films were hardly critical darlings, financially it was a robust weekend.

A Good Day to Die Hard debuted in the number one spot with a decent, yet uninspiring $25 million.  The franchise has seen better days, but I'm guessing the international take will justify its existence.  With a budget of $92 million dollars, the fifth Die Hard film is a low-risk proposition.  There's been a lot of talk about the diminishing quality of the franchise but let's be honest: The first Die Hard is a classic.  Every subsequent entry has been a cartoonish cut-and-paste style action film.  The entire premise of a guy in the wrong place at the wrong time has been traded in for an inhuman super action hero who cheats death with the frequency of Keith Richards.

I'm not really offended by the photocopied Die Hard sequels.  They're inoffensive action movies trading on a recognizable brand.  What I find amusing is the number of generic action movies are being anchored by a bald Bruce Willis.  Truth be told, Bruce Willis in A Good Day to Die Hard looks no different than Bruce Willis in G.I. Joe: Retaliation or Red 2.  Or in last year's The Expendables 2.   I've got nothing against Willis, but like his fellow bald action star Jason Statham, I can only take so much of the same before I start to lose interest.  Right now, the wisecracking bald senior citizen with a machine gun is on life support.

The comedy Identity Thief took second place with a strong second week bringing in $23 million.  The 30% week over week drop is remarkable given the absolute critical sandblasting.  Audiences are making a strong declaration: they like Melissa McCarthy, even if Rex Reed doesn't.

Safe Haven was the number three movie this week with an estimated $21 million for the weekend.  The critically maligned romantic drama seemed like a shoe in for the De facto date movie for the Valentine's Day weekend.  However, more people seemed interested in Bruce Willis blowing up Russia and Melissa McCarthy acting the fool.  The annual Nicholas Sparks adaptation continues to be a good bet financially, even if the finished product is really, really bad.

The CG animated Escape from Planet Earth opened in fourth place, in spite of soft marketing.  Since there's not a lot of family programming in the marketplace, Escape managed a $15 million opening.  There's something to be said for filling the void.  This low cost animated feature should be a financial win for The Weinstein Company.

The real casualty this weekend was the supernatural romance Beautiful Creatures.  Apparently the world isn't ready for Twilight clones.  The Emily Rossum film managed only $7 million in its opening weekend which wasn't enough to crack the top five.  Is there anybody saddened by this outcome?

Next week provides two wide released.  Dwayne "No longer the Rock" Johnson stars in the action thriller Snitch, while Keri Russel leads the alien themed horror film Dark Skies.  I'm guessing neither film has the juice to make it to number one.  It'll be a four way race for the number one spot, probably with a weekend haul of less than $20 million.  See you next week.

Here's your top films for North America...

1. A Good Day to Die Hard
Weekend Estimate: $25 million; $33 million total

2. Identity Thief
Weekend Estimate: $23 million; $70 million total

3. Safe Haven
Weekend Estimate: $21 million; $30 million

4. Escape from Planet Earth
Weekend Estimate: $15 million

5. Warm Bodies
Weekend Estimate: $9 million; $50 million total

Anghus Houvouras
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First trailer for NBC's Hannibal TV series

February 17, 2013, 1:14 pm
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Mads Mikkelsen as Hannibal Lecter
Hannibal Lecter is set to return this year, albeit on the small screen, as Mads Mikkelsen (Casino Royale, The Hunt) steps into the shoes of Brian Cox and Anthony Hopkins as Thomas Harris' infamous serial killer in the 13-part TV series Hannibal, which has just received its first trailer from NBC ahead of its premiere this April.

Created by Bryan Fuller (Pushing Daisies) with a pilot episode from director David Slade (The Twilight Saga: Eclipse), Hannibal explores the relationship between the cannibalistic doctor and FBI criminal profiler Will Graham, played by Hugh Dancy (The Big C). Also set to feature in the cast of the series are Caroline Dhavernas (The Pacific), Lara Jean Chorostecki (Beauty and the Beast), Aaron Abrams (The L.A. Complex), Hettienne Park (Young Adult), Laurence Fishburne (The Matrix), Gina Torres (Flash Forward) and Gillian Anderson (The X-Files).

Check out the trailer here:


Hannibal premieres on April 4th on NBC in North America. A UK air date yet to be announced.
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Community Season 4 - Episode 2 Review

February 17, 2013, 3:39 pm
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Scott Davis reviews the second episode of Community season four...

"Hallo-tine" (Halloween on Valentine’s Day) time on Community this week, as Season 4 does its season staple Halloween episode, hoping for the success of the previous episodes, all of which were undoubted highlights in each of the previous season.

Sadly, the cracks are beginning to show since Dan Harmon / Russo Brothers' sad exit, and this Halloween episode with our favourite Greendale students may be remembered as the weakest, and shockingly, unfunniest episode that has graced the small screen since its debut four years ago.

Ready for their annual trip in Halloween tomfoolery and fancy-dress, the gang are called to Hawthorne Mansion, to investigate the missing Pierce, up to his old tricks to prove his worthwhile. On arrival, nothing is what it seems, so cue Scooby Doo-like shenanigans with dark, drifty shadows, corridor running and stupidity.

You would have hoped with such comedic possibilities with a Scooby-like episode, that the show would find a plethora of comedic possibilities. However, despite the always energetic cast who again are exceptional sports, Episode 2 is flat, slow and horribly dull.

What disappoints most about this, and arguably the opener from last week, is the relegation of the Troy and Abed dynamic to the background.

Whenever an episode was a little flat or lacking a touch of magic, the Dynamic Duo would step up and produce some comedy: a dreamatorium adventure here; "Inspector Spacetime" reenactment there.

With the focus on the Troy / Brittany relationship kicking into gear, Danny Pudi's Abed is left in free fall unless the shows new head-honcho's do something quick, particularly with the imminent reconnection with Jeff and his estranged Dad looming large.

The big sinker of the show still is Pierce, whose annoying, child-like personality is now a spreading disease that needs treating once and for all. The sooner he is tossed overboard and "honourably discharged", the better.

Let's hope that this doesn't turn into the darkest timeline we all fear it will, and there are better things to come.

Scott Davis
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Argo and Zero Dark Thirty honoured at the 2013 WGA Awards

February 18, 2013, 12:52 am
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Ben Affleck's acclaimed CIA thriller Argo picked up another award last night as screenwriter Chris Terrio was honoured by the Writer's Guild of America at this year's WGA Awards with Best Adapted Screenplay, while Mark Boal received Best Original Screenplay for Kathryn Bigelow's Zero Dark Thirty and Malik Bendejelloul collected Best Documentary Screenplay for Searching for Sugar Man.

Shifting to the small screen and there was awards success for Breaking Bad (Best Drama Series), Louie (Best Comedy Series) and Girls (Best New Series), along with Mad Men (Episodic Drama), Modern Family (Episodic Comedy), Hatfields & McCoys (Long Form - Original), Game Change (Long Form - Adapted) and The Simpsons (Animation).

Here is the full list of nominees, with the winners highlighted in bold:

Film Categories:

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Flight, Written by John Gatins; Paramount Pictures
Looper, Written by Rian Johnson; TriStar Pictures
The Master, Written by Paul Thomas Anderson; The Weinstein Company
Moonrise Kingdom, Written by Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola; Focus Features
Zero Dark Thirty, Written by Mark Boal; Columbia Pictures

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Argo, Screenplay by Chris Terrio; Based on a selection from The Master of Disguise by Antonio J. Mendez and the Wired Magazine article “The Great Escape” by Joshuah Bearman; Warner Bros. Pictures
Life of Pi, Screenplay by David Magee; Based on the novel by Yann Martel; 20th Century Fox
Lincoln, Screenplay by Tony Kushner; Based in part on the book Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin; DreamWorks Pictures
The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Screenplay by Stephen Chbosky; Based on his book; Summit Entertainment
Silver Linings Playbook, Screenplay by David O. Russell; Based on the novel by Matthew Quick; The Weinstein Company

DOCUMENTARY SCREENPLAY
The Central Park Five, Written by Sarah Burns and David McMahon and Ken Burns; Sundance Selects
The Invisible War, Written by Kirby Dick; Cinedigm Entertainment Group
Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God, Written by Alex Gibney; HBO Documentary Films
Searching for Sugar Man, Written by Malik Bendejelloul; Sony Pictures Classics
We Are Legion: The Story of the Hacktivists, Written by Brian Knappenberger; Cinetic Media
West of Memphis, Written by Amy Berg & Billy McMillin; Sony Pictures Classics

TV Categories:

DRAMA SERIES
Boardwalk Empire, Written by Dave Flebotte, Diane Frolov, Chris Haddock, Rolin Jones, Howard Korder, Steve Kornacki, Andrew Schneider, David Stenn, Terence Winter; HBO
Breaking Bad, Written by Sam Catlin, Vince Gilligan, Peter Gould, Gennifer Hutchison, George Mastras, Thomas Schnauz, Moira Walley-Beckett; AMC
Game of Thrones, Written by David Benioff, Bryan Cogman, George R.R. Martin, Vanessa Taylor, D.B. Weiss; HBO
Homeland, Written by Henry Bromell, Alexander Cary, Alex Gansa, Howard Gordon, Chip Johannessen, Meredith Stiehm; Showtime
Mad Men, Written by Lisa Albert, Semi Chellas, Jason Grote, Jonathan Igla, Andre Jacquemetton, Maria Jacquemetton, Brett Johnson, Janet Leahy, Victor Levin, Erin Levy, Frank Pierson, Michael Saltzman, Tom Smuts, Matthew Weiner; AMC

COMEDY SERIES
30 Rock, Written by Jack Burditt, Kay Cannon, Robert Carlock, Tom Ceraulo, Vali Chandrasekaran, Luke Del Tredici, Tina Fey, Lauren Gurganous, Matt Hubbard, Colleen McGuinness, Sam Means, Dylan Morgan, Nina Pedrad, John Riggi, Josh Siegel, Ron Weiner, Tracey Wigfield; NBC
Girls, Written by Judd Apatow, Lesley Arfin, Lena Dunham, Sarah Heyward, Bruce Eric Kaplan, Jenni Konner, Deborah Schoeneman, Dan Sterling; HBO
Louie, Written by Pamela Adlon, Vernon Chatman, Louis C.K.; FX
Modern Family,  Written by Cindy Chupack, Paul Corrigan, Abraham Higginbotham, Ben Karlin, Elaine Ko, Steven Levitan, Christopher Lloyd, Dan O’Shannon, Jeffrey Richman, Audra Sielaff, Brad Walsh, Bill Wrubel, Danny Zuker; ABC
Parks and Recreation, Written by Megan Amram, Greg Daniels, Nate Dimeo, Katie Dippold, Daniel J. Goor, Norm Hiscock, Dave King, Greg Levine, Joe Mande, Aisha Muharrar, Nick Offerman, Chelsea Peretti, Amy Poehler, Alexandra Rushfield, Michael Schur, Mike Scully, Harris Wittels, Alan Yang; NBC

NEW SERIES
Girls, Written by Judd Apatow, Lesley Arfin, Lena Dunham, Sarah Heyward, Bruce Eric Kaplan, Jenni Konner, Deborah Schoeneman, Dan Sterling; HBO
The Mindy Project, Written by Ike Barinholtz, Jeremy Bronson, Linwood Boomer, Adam Countee, Harper Dill, Mindy Kaling, Chris McKenna, B.J. Novak, David Stassen, Matt Warburton; Fox
Nashville, Written by Wendy Calhoun, Jason George, David Gould, David Marshall Grant, Dee Johnson, Todd Ellis Kessler, Callie Khouri, Meredith Lavender, Nancy Miller, James Parriott, Liz Tigelaar, Marcie Ulin; ABC
The Newsroom, Written by Brendan Fehily, David Handelman, Cinque Henderson, Paul Redford, Ian Reichbach, Amy Rice, Aaron Sorkin, Gideon Yago; HBO
Veep, Written by Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Roger Drew, Sean Gray, Armando Iannucci, Ian Martin, Tony Roche, Will Smith; HBO

EPISODIC DRAMA
“Buyout” (Breaking Bad), Written by Gennifer Hutchison; AMC
“Dead Freight” (Breaking Bad), Written by George Mastras; AMC
“Fifty-One” (Breaking Bad), Written by Sam Catlin; AMC
“New Car Smell” (Homeland), Written by Meredith Stiehm; Showtime
“The Other Woman”(Mad Men), Written by Semi Chellas and Matthew Weiner; AMC
“Say My Name” (Breaking Bad), Written by Thomas Schnauz; AMC

EPISODIC COMEDY
“The Debate” (Parks and Recreation), Written by Amy Poehler; NBC
“Episode 9” (Episodes), Written by David Crane & Jeffrey Klarik; Showtime
“Leap Day” (30 Rock), Written by Luke Del Tredici; NBC
“Little Bo Bleep” (Modern Family), Written by Cindy Chupack; ABC
“Mistery Date” (Modern Family), Written by Jeffrey Richman; ABC
“Virgin Territory” (Modern Family), Written by Elaine Ko; ABC

LONG FORM – ORIGINAL
Hatfields and McCoys, Nights Two and Three, Teleplay by Ted Mann and Ronald Parker, Story by Bill Kerby and Ted Mann; History Channel
Hemingway & Gelhorn, Written by Jerry Stahl and Barbara Turner; HBO
“Pilot”(Political Animals), Written by Greg Berlanti; USA

LONG FORM – ADAPTED
Coma, Nights 1 and 2, Teleplay by John McLaughlin, Based on the book by Robin Cook; A&E
Game Change, Written by Danny Strong, Based on the book by Mark Halperin and John Heilemann; HBO

ANIMATION
“A Farewell to Arms” (Futurama), Written by Josh Weinstein; Comedy Central
“Forget-Me-Not” (Family Guy), Written by David A. Goodman; Fox
“Holidays of Future Passed” (The Simpsons), Written by J. Stewart Burns; Fox
“Ned and Edna’s Blend Agenda” (The Simpsons), Written by Jeff Westbrook; Fox
“Treehouse of Horror XXIII” (The Simpsons), Written by David Mandel & Brian Kelley; Fox

COMEDY / VARIETY (INCLUDING TALK) – SERIES
The Colbert Report, Writers: Michael Brumm, Stephen Colbert, Rich Dahm, Paul Dinello, Eric Drysdale, Rob Dubbin, Glenn Eichler, Dan Guterman, Peter Gwinn, Barry Julien, Jay Katsir, Frank Lesser, Opus Moreschi, Tom Purcell, Meredith Scardino, Scott Sherman, Max Werner; Comedy Central
Conan, Writers: Jose Arroyo, Andres du Bouchet, Deon Cole, Josh Comers, Dan Cronin, Michael Gordon, Brian Kiley, Laurie Kilmartin, Rob Kutner, Todd Levin, Brian McCann, Conan O'Brien, Matt O'Brien, Jesse Popp, Andy Richter, Brian Stack, Mike Sweeney; TBS
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,Writers: Rory Albanese, Kevin Bleyer, Richard Blomquist, Steve Bodow, Tim Carvell, Hallie Haglund, J.R. Havlan, Elliott Kalan, Dan McCoy, Jo Miller, John Oliver, Zhubin Parang, Daniel Radosh, Jason Ross, Jon Stewart; Comedy Central
Jimmy Kimmel Live, Writers: Tony Barbieri, Jonathan Bines, Joelle Boucai, Sal Iacono, Eric Immerman, Gary Greenberg, Josh Halloway, Bess Kalb, Jimmy Kimmel, Jeff Loveness, Molly McNearney, Bryan Paulk, Danny Ricker, Rick Rosner; ABC
Key & Peele, Writers: Jay Martel, Ian Roberts, Keegan Michael Key, Jordan Peele, Sean Conroy, Colton Dunn, Charlie Sanders, Alex Rubens, Rebecca Drysdale; Comedy Central
Portlandia, Writers: Fred R. Armisen, Carrie Brownstein, Karey Dornetto, Jonathan Krisel, Bill Oakley; IFC
Real Time with Bill Maher, Writers: Scott Carter, Adam Felber, Matt Gunn, Brian Jacobsmeyer, Jay Jaroch, Chris Kelly, Mike Larsen, Bill Maher, Billy Martin; HBO
Saturday Night Live, Head Writer: Seth Meyers, Writers: James Anderson, Alex Baze, Neil Casey, Jessica Conrad, James Downey, Shelly Gossman, Steve Higgins, Colin Jost, Zach Kanin, Chris Kelly, Joe Kelly, Erik Kenward, Rob Klein, Lorne Michaels, John Mulaney, Christine Nangle, Mike O’Brien, Josh Patten, Paula Pell, Marika Sawyer, Sarah Schneider, Pete Schultz, John Solomon, Kent Sublette, Bryan Tucker, Additional Sketch By Emily Spivey, Jorma Taccone, Additional Material By Frank Sebastiano; NBC Universal

COMEDY / VARIETY – MUSIC, AWARDS, TRIBUTES – SPECIALS
66th Annual Tony Awards, Written by Dave Boone; Special Material by Paul Greenberg; Opening and Closing Songs by David Javerbaum, Adam Schlesinger; CBS
2012 Film Independent Spirit Awards, Written by Billy Kimball, Wayne Federman; IFC
After the Academy Awards, Head Writers Gary Greenberg, Molly McNearney; WritersTony Barbieri, Jonathan Bines, Sal Iacono, Eric Immerman, Jimmy Kimmel, Jeffrey Loveness, Bryan Paulk, Danny Ricker, Richard G. Rosner; ABC
National Memorial Day Concert, Written by Joan Meyerson; PBS

DAYTIME DRAMA
Days of Our Lives, Written by Lorraine Broderick, Carolyn Culliton, Richard Culliton, Rick Draughon, Christopher Dunn, Lacey Dyer, Janet Iacobuzio, David A. Levinson, Ryan Quan, Dave Ryan, Melissa Salmons, Roger Schroeder, Elizabeth Snyder, Christopher J. Whitesell, Nancy Williams Watt; NBC
One Life to Live, Written by Lorraine Broderick, Ron Carlivati, Anna Theresa Cascio, Daniel J. O’Connor, Elizabeth Page, Jean Passanante, Melissa Salmons, Katherine Schock, Scott Sickles, Courtney Simon, Chris Van Etten; ABC
The Young & The Restless, Written by Amanda Beall, Jeff Beldner, Brent Boyd, Susan Dansby, Janice Ferri Esser, Jay Gibson, Scott Hamner, Maria Kanelos, Natalie Minardi Slater, Beth Milstein, Michael Montgomery, Anne Schoettle, Linda Schreiber, Lisa Seidman, Sarah K. Smith, Christopher J. Whitesell, Teresa Zimmerman; CBS

CHILDREN'S – EPISODIC & SPECIAL
“The Good Sport” (Sesame Street); Written by Christine Ferraro; PBS

CHILDREN’S – LONG FORM OR SPECIAL
“Girl vs. Monster,” Story by Annie De Young; Teleplay by Annie De Young and Ron McGee; Disney Channel

DOCUMENTARY – CURRENT EVENTS
“The Anthrax Files” (Frontline), Written by Michael Kirk; PBS
“A Perfect Terrorist” (Frontline); Written by Thomas Jennings; PBS
“Lost in Detention” (Frontline), Written byRick Young; PBS
“Money, Power and Wall Street: Episode One” (Frontline), Written by Martin Smith and Marcela Gaviria; PBS
“Money, Power and Wall Street: Episode Three” (Frontline), Written by Michael Kirk & Mike Wiser; PBS
“Money, Power and Wall Street: Episode Four” (Frontline), Written by Marcela Gaviria and Martin Smith; PBS

DOCUMENTARY – OTHER THAN CURRENT EVENTS
“The Amish” (American Experience), Written by David Belton; PBS
“Clinton” (American Experience), Written by Barak Goodman; PBS
“Death and the Civil War” (American Experience), Written by Ric Burns; PBS
“The Fabric of the Cosmos: The Illusion of Time” (Nova), Written by Randall MacLowry; PBS
“The Fabric of the Cosmos: Quantum Leap” (Nova), Telescript by Josh Rosen and Julia Cort, Story by Joseph McMaster and Josh Rosen; PBS
“Johnny Carson: King of Late Night” (American Masters), Written byPeter T. Jones; PBS

NEWS – REGULARLY SCHEDULED, BULLETIN, OR BREAKING REPORT
“Tragedy In Colorado: The Movie Theatre Massacre,” Written by Lisa Ferri, Joel Siegel; ABC News

NEWS – ANALYSIS, FEATURE, OR COMMENTARY
“The Ghost of Joe McCarthy” (Moyers & Company), Written by Bill Moyers, Michael Winship; Thirteen/ WNET
“Making History at Ole Miss,” Written by Polly Leider; CBS News
“The Regime Responds” (Frontline), Written by Marcela Gaviria; PBS
“Stem Cell Fraud” (60 Minutes), Written by Scott Pelley, Michael Rey andOriana Zill de Granados, CBS News

Radio Categories:

NEWS – REGULARLY SCHEDULED OR BREAKING REPORT
“CBS Radio News,” Written by Duane Tollison; CBS Radio News
“Local and National News,” Written byMark Hugh Miller; CBS Radio News
“Remembering Andy Williams,” Written by Arlene Lebe; CBS Radio News
"World News This Year 2011,” Written by Darren Reynolds; ABC News Radio

NEWS – ANALYSIS, FEATURE OR COMMENTARY
“Dishin Digital,” Written by Robert Hawley; WCBS-AM
“Pre-existing Conditions and the Affordable Care Act,” Written by Scott J. Saloway; CBS Radio News
“Tributes,” Written by Gail Lee, CBS Radio News

Promotional Writing and Graphic Animation Categories:

ON-AIR PROMOTION (RADIO OR TELEVISION)
“Partners,” Written by Dan A. Greenberger; CBS

TELEVISION GRAPHIC ANIMATION
“CBS News Animations,” Animation by David Rosen; CBS News
“The Oscars” (Sunday Morning with Charles Osgood), Animation by Bob Pook; CBS

New Media and Videogame Categories

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN WRITING ORIGINAL NEW MEDIA
“The Compromises, Episode 1,” “The Pest, Episode 3,” The Snake, Episode 4,” “The Bonding, Episode 6,” “The Future, Episode 7/Series Finale” (Jack in a Box), Written by Michael Cyril Creighton; jackinaboxsite.com
“Episode 1, The Report,” “Episode 2, The Third Man,” “Episode 3, The Suck” (Lauren), Written by Jay Rodan; youtube.com/wigs
“Assistants, Episode 104,” “Photo Shoot, Episode 105,” “Ten Per Cent, Episode 106,” “Hashtags, Episode 107,” “The Contract, Episode 108” (Model Wife), Written by Cory Cavin, Bill G. Grandberg & Josh Lay; modelwifeshow.com
“Babyshower,” “Stendhal Syndrome,” “A Very Important Call,” “Think,” “Emma” (The Untitled Webseries That Morgan Evans Is Doing), Written by Morgan Evans; UntitledWebseries.com

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN WRITING DERIVATIVE NEW MEDIA
“All in the Family; Chapter 1,”  “All in the Family; Chapter 2,” “All in the Family; Chapter 3,” “All in the Family; Chapter 4,” “All in the Family; Chapter 5” (Dexter Early Cuts), Written by Scott Reynolds; SHO.com
“Hide And Seek,” “Keys to the Kingdom,” “The Chosen Ones,” “Parting Shots” (The Walking Dead: Cold Storage), Written by John Esposito; amctv.com

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN VIDEOGAME WRITING
007 Legends, Written By Bruce Feirstein; Activision
Assassin’s Creed III, Story By Alex Hutchinson, Corey May, Matt Turner; Multiplayer Story By Richard Farrese, Jeffrey Yohalem; Lead Scriptwriter Corey May; Scriptwriter Nicholas Grimwood, Russell Lees, Matt Turner, Danny Wallace, Ceri Young; Ubisoft
Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation, Scriptwriting by Richard Farrese, Jill Murray; Ubisoft
Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two, Writing Consultant Marv Wolfman; Disney Interactive Studios
Halo 4, Narrative Design Christopher Schlerf; Microsoft Studios
Uncharted: Golden Abyss, Written By John Garvin; Sony Computer Entertainment America

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New Iron Man 3 character poster featuring Guy Pearce's Aldrich Killian

February 18, 2013, 4:46 am
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Last week Marvel Studios debuted a character poster from Iron Man 3 featuring Don Cheadle's James Rhodes in his War Machine / Iron Patriot armor, and now another poster has arrived online, this time giving us our first look (well, outside of the Super Bowl TV spot) at Guy Pearce (Prometheus) as bad guy Aldrich Killian, the scientist behind the Extremis super soldier project...


Iron Man 3 pits brash-but-brilliant industrialist Tony Stark / Iron Man [Robert Downey Jr.] against an enemy whose reach knows no bounds. When Stark finds his personal world destroyed at his enemy's hands, he embarks on a harrowing quest to find those responsible. This journey, at every turn, will test his mettle. With his back against the wall, Stark is left to survive by his own devices, relying on his ingenuity and instincts to protect those closest to him. As he fights his way back, Stark discovers the answer to the question that has secretly haunted him: does the man make the suit or does the suit make the man? 

Iron Man 3 is directed by Shane Black (Kiss Kiss Bang Bang), and also features Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts and Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan, while newcomers to the Marvel Cinematic Universe include Ben Kingsley (Hugo) as The Mandarin, Rebecca Hall (The Town) as Maya Hansen, James Badge Dale (The Lone Ranger) as Eric Savin, William Sadler as Sal Kennedy, Ashley Hamilton (Sunset Beach) as Jack Taggert and Stephanie Szostak (We Bought a Zoo) in an as-yet-unrevealed role. The film is due for release in the UK on April 26th and opens in North America on May 3rd.
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